After spending 11 days in Rwanda, studying justice and reconciliation post genocide, I’ve returned with a copious amount of information. Visiting memorials and listening to the accounts of survivors and perpetrators of the 1994 genocide proved to be an emotional and enlightening experience. During the genocide, thousands of Tutsis sought refuge in Catholic churches only to be betrayed by their religious leaders and turned over to Hutu government forces and the Interahamwe militias to be slaughtered. I visited two of those churches, which now serve as memorials and chilling reminders of the horrors experienced in 1994. More…

NEW YORK— A classmate playing with his father’s gun accidentally shot 12-year-old Nicholas Naumkin dead in Saratoga Springs, New York, in December 2010.

Now, as Esmé Montgomery reports, the gun-control advocacy group New Yorkers Against Gun Violence is promoting a bill, named “Nicholas’s Law” in his honor, that would require gun owners to store guns safely. The group believes that increased regulations are desperately needed to reduce accidental injuries to children by firearms.

New Yorkers drop off food waste at Grand Army Plaza for composting. Photo by Prianka Srinivasan

A man makes his way through Manhattan’s busy streets near Union Square Park swinging a plastic bag filled with egg shells, wilted greens and coffee grounds by his side.

As the day progresses, many follow suit, carrying food scraps in metal tins, old ice-cream containers and soggy paper bags. In turn, they each deposit their collections into large, plastic drums on the northwest corner of the park.

These New Yorkers are taking part in the city’s food scrap drop-off program, a collaboration between the New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY) and a number of environmental groups helping to reduce food waste across communities. Prianka Srinivasan reports.

In the midst of Burundi’s civil war, two Zulu leaders who had once tried to kill one another shared their experience of making peace. Samantha Adler examines their work and other efforts in the third of five articles on innovative diplomacy.

When diplomats are unable to end or prevent conflict, other parties may take the initiative, launching cross-border sports or cultural exchanges. In a five-part series, Samantha Adler analyzes informal and unusual types of diplomacy to see which hold the most promise.

The separation barrier between Israel and the West Bank, near Jenin, under construction in 2005. Photo by Barbara Borst

Latin America has nearly 2 million forced laborers, a problem that needs further research and action. In a documentary video and website, Ana Maria Defillo reports on efforts to expose and address the issue in Brazil.

Performers at the Centro de Apoio e Pastoral do Migrante (CAMI) Third Annual Immigrant Music and Poetry Festival in Sao Paulo. Photos by Ana Defillo

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Who we are

Tutawaza, meaning “we will think, reflect, imagine” in Swahili, was founded by Barbara Borst to report on new and innovative solutions to apparently intractable problems both in the United States and abroad.